Quotes from David H. Hackworth

Only a foolish woman would allow her man to earn his living as a moving target.

Respecting your opponent is the key to winning any bout. Hold your enemy in contempt and you may miss the strategy behind his moves

Care for your men. Maintain discipline. Always set an example. You take fewer casualties attacking than retreating: "Your job is not to die for your country but to make the other son of a bitch die for his country." Once engaged, give no quarter. Drill, drill, drill. Stay alert, stay alive.

I learned in WW II," he said, "that the slightest bit of excitement in a leader is transmitted to the men. You might be afraid, but the fear gets magnified in the troops. Somebody has to keep his cool. If you're a decent leader, you don't dare lose it—for your own good. You've got to keep your unit up there doing its job.

Mao's conviction, "Give me a path wide enough to move a mule and I will move an army.

But now I could see, through the Vietnam debacle, that while there was a price to be paid, it was only correct to pay it if the product—democracy—was sound. And it was not sound in the corrupt ranks of South Vietnam's government and military, nor had it ever been, nor would it ever be, regardless of how many of America's sons threw their lives into the pot. As a nation, we had to get out of there. I'd

politicians only listened to these generals, and these generals only listened to themselves.

General Bruce Clarke's Guidelines for the Leader and the Commander

Soldiers were not trained to hit moving targets. Marksmanship in the U.S. Army was taught on a known-distance (KD) range—fixed target, big bull's-eye, plenty of time. It didn't make a lot of sense.

They weren't a special unit— just a group of guys who thought they were good, so they were good.

the slightest bit of excitement in a leader is transmitted to the men. You might be afraid, but the fear gets magnified in the troops. Somebody has to keep his cool. If you're a decent leader, you don't dare lose it— for your own good. You've got to keep your unit up there doing its job.

The new battalion commander had used his eyes but not his head: he'd seen overfamiliarity, but had not taken tome to think, to realize that Barney K.'s easygoing attitude with his guys came from the platoon's and its leader's mutual understanding, respect, and trust. With one order, the CO had destroyed it all, and my friend was heartbroken.

The new battalion commander had used his eyes but not his head: he'd seen overfamiliarity, but had not taken time to think, to realize that Barney K.'s easygoing attitude with his guys came from the platoon's and its leader's mutual understanding, respect, and trust. With one order, the CO had destroyed it all, and my friend was heartbroken.

the only thing to do was not worry about it at all, and have the best damn time you could while you were around. Of course, being a leader helped. You were always too busy bringing in air and artillery, moving your people and shepherding your herd, to take time to focus in on yourself, on where you might be in a moment's time.

combat is no place for martinets.

The Army isn't what it used to be," I lamented to General Cushman one day. "It never was," he replied.